Southington Council Wants To Name New Town Manager Soon

List Of 32 Applicants For Job Has Been Whittled Down To A Few

November 11, 2010|By KEN BYRON, kbyron@courant.com

SOUTHINGTON — — The town council has narrowed a list of 32 applicants for town manager to a few finalists and a new manager should be in place by January, council Chairman Edward Pocock said Wednesday.

The new manager will replace John Weichsel, who has been town manager since 1966, making him the longest-serving town or city manager in the state and possibly the nation. Weichsel is the only town manager Southington has had.

The council did not hire a search consultant and has handled much of the work itself. Pocock wouldn't say how many finalists have been selected, nor would he comment on whether Mark Sciota, the deputy town manager and also the town attorney, is among those being considered. Sciota declined comment

Pocock said he wants the council to name a manager before the end of the year, and that it might make a decision this month. Ideally, a new manager would start in January, he said.

Some candidates were interviewed privately at the Marriott Residence Inn on West Street on Nov. 5, Pocock said.

"We interviewed a handful of people then; now we're down to less than that," Pocock said.

Earlier this year, some residents pushed for changes to the town charter that would have required a contract and regular evaluations of the town manager. A petition seeking a referendum on those proposals failed because not enough people signed it. Nevertheless, Pocock said, it is likely that the new manager will work with a contract.

"Most people in town that I've talked to think that's something that should be done," Pocock said. "My interpretation is that people want us to assess the manager's performance at least every other year."